Notes:
- Influence of Sci-Fi/Fantasy on future of technology: representations of future in art and entertainment mirror what the people would like to see in reality I.E. Star Wars 3D chess and hologram of Princess Leia
- Sci-Fi is not just about "wouldn't it be cool could do that" but commentary on "what if you could do that?"
- predicts future, speculative fiction
- Connection between digital world and physical reality = augmented reality
- illusion of media as physical medium (social contract to own object representing media ex. VHS tape)
- early technology often forces user to think and progressively becomes more automated ex. Cars (danger of mindless technology being taken in wrong direction)
- in the end technology is simply tools
I found Ken Perlin's lecture to be extremely enlightening and inspirational. He seems just as enthused with what he is doing now as he must have been when he initially started back in the '80s. I really enjoyed his discussion of the connections between fiction and the reality of future technology. One video in particular struck a chord with me, the "Hyper Augmented Reality" one in which augmented reality has taken over daily functions and seems very intrusive. This future is definitely possible given the current state of technology, but I would hope that technology takes us in a less intrusive direction as Perlin talked about, in which technology almost becomes more and more invisible and serves to aid our HUMAN interactions rather than inhibit them.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Site Building Using Wordpress
For my final project, I have been working on creating a website for my music projects. I am using the Wordpress platform, which is an open source hosting service, meaning that there are multiple interfaces available to create websites with. I chose one called “Thesis” which is perfect for what I wanted to create: a simple website with a blog format and links to my Sound Cloud, Myspace, and Twitter accounts and my Facebook fan page.
Initially, Thesis was a bit intimidating, as the commands to do simple things like add an image can be complicated. However, upon reading a tutorial and spending more time with the site, it is making more sense. I would not recommend WordPress with Thesis to someone who is not somewhat technology savvy, but it is perfect for me as it allows for more layout customization than a Blogspot or something similar. I will post more as I progress with my site.
Initially, Thesis was a bit intimidating, as the commands to do simple things like add an image can be complicated. However, upon reading a tutorial and spending more time with the site, it is making more sense. I would not recommend WordPress with Thesis to someone who is not somewhat technology savvy, but it is perfect for me as it allows for more layout customization than a Blogspot or something similar. I will post more as I progress with my site.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Six Selections by the Oulipo (1961, 1973, 1981)
Oulipo = Ouvroir de Litterature Potentillem, Workshop for Potential Literature)
- workshop for potential literature
- break free of traditional constraints of literature
- "The idea of potential literature is to both analyze and synthesize constraints - drawn from current mathematics as well as from older writing techniques that never entered the literary mainstream."
- Raymond Queneau: used algorithmic techniques in his narratives.
- led to choose your own adventure style games and books
- Queneau's book A Hundred Thousand Billion Poems is the foundation of this movement.
- switching up relationships of reader, author, and text
- workshop for potential literature
- break free of traditional constraints of literature
- "The idea of potential literature is to both analyze and synthesize constraints - drawn from current mathematics as well as from older writing techniques that never entered the literary mainstream."
- Raymond Queneau: used algorithmic techniques in his narratives.
- led to choose your own adventure style games and books
- Queneau's book A Hundred Thousand Billion Poems is the foundation of this movement.
- switching up relationships of reader, author, and text
Friday, November 5, 2010
A File Structure for the Complex, the Changing, and the Indeterminate (1965)
- Theodor Nelson
- Originator of "hypertext" concept, but original idea went further than the term as we now know it
- "a body of written or pictorial material interconnected in such a complex way that it could not be conveniently presented or represented on paper"
- modular type of system that goes beyond simple text based links: linked structures of information in a more abstract form
Sort of a precursor to the modern search engine optimized web where everything is linked via tags, but takes this idea further to surpass what became the standard of links via text. It seems like we are finally catching up to Nelson's concepts in our current generation of the web, where user created tags help us to identify an ever evolving user generated database. The way that these databases are visually organized is still very simple though, and mirror methods that have been used forever in text based mediums on paper. For instance, upon doing a Google search, we are simply given a traditional list of results in the form of hyperlinks rather than a more comprehensive visual representation of the results. Not sure what this representation would be, or if it has already been attempted...I wonder if the way in which we perceive information might evolve to become something beyond our current text based world?
- Originator of "hypertext" concept, but original idea went further than the term as we now know it
- "a body of written or pictorial material interconnected in such a complex way that it could not be conveniently presented or represented on paper"
- modular type of system that goes beyond simple text based links: linked structures of information in a more abstract form
Sort of a precursor to the modern search engine optimized web where everything is linked via tags, but takes this idea further to surpass what became the standard of links via text. It seems like we are finally catching up to Nelson's concepts in our current generation of the web, where user created tags help us to identify an ever evolving user generated database. The way that these databases are visually organized is still very simple though, and mirror methods that have been used forever in text based mediums on paper. For instance, upon doing a Google search, we are simply given a traditional list of results in the form of hyperlinks rather than a more comprehensive visual representation of the results. Not sure what this representation would be, or if it has already been attempted...I wonder if the way in which we perceive information might evolve to become something beyond our current text based world?
The Construction of Change (1964)
- Roy Ascott
- connection between art, art education and cybernetics
- founding document of new media
Poppers distinctions between "participation" and "interaction":
- Participation: involvement on intellectual and behavioral level. varies from idea of "spectator." has apolitical and social implications. similar to "ritual ceremony" or "tribal feast"
- Interaction: mirrors type of participation, in which art (AI system) interacts with user/spectator itself. Usually two-way, as opposed to participation, which implies global network i.e. internet, where multiple users are all interacting.
- 1980s, Ascott combines Popper's two concepts: Telematic Art, where global individuals work together on single art via network, plus interaction on the part of AI.
- connection between art, art education and cybernetics
- founding document of new media
Poppers distinctions between "participation" and "interaction":
- Participation: involvement on intellectual and behavioral level. varies from idea of "spectator." has apolitical and social implications. similar to "ritual ceremony" or "tribal feast"
- Interaction: mirrors type of participation, in which art (AI system) interacts with user/spectator itself. Usually two-way, as opposed to participation, which implies global network i.e. internet, where multiple users are all interacting.
- 1980s, Ascott combines Popper's two concepts: Telematic Art, where global individuals work together on single art via network, plus interaction on the part of AI.
Sketchpad: A Man Machine Graphical Communication System (1963)
- Ivan Sutherland
- Innovative in that he rethought the idea of the screen as a new, more interactive medium as opposed to simple and inferior replacement for paper.
-Sort of a precursor to modern Wacom-pad style interfaces
- Introduced "rubber-band" lines and circle tools that are used in most computer drawing/design/image editing programs
- the first "direct manipulation" interface. No lines of programming in order to actually use program. Laid foundation for object oriented programming and GUIs
- Ability to reuse objects in a sort of library-esque way that modern computer programs allow. Able to save file and reuse previous constructions from personal library.
- If previously created object is altered, alteration shows up in files that said object is used in
- Influential to Alan Kay, creator of object-oriented programming language Smalltalk and Dynabook.
- Innovative in that he rethought the idea of the screen as a new, more interactive medium as opposed to simple and inferior replacement for paper.
-Sort of a precursor to modern Wacom-pad style interfaces
- Introduced "rubber-band" lines and circle tools that are used in most computer drawing/design/image editing programs
- the first "direct manipulation" interface. No lines of programming in order to actually use program. Laid foundation for object oriented programming and GUIs
- Ability to reuse objects in a sort of library-esque way that modern computer programs allow. Able to save file and reuse previous constructions from personal library.
- If previously created object is altered, alteration shows up in files that said object is used in
- Influential to Alan Kay, creator of object-oriented programming language Smalltalk and Dynabook.
Douglas Engelbart - Augmenting Human Intellect (1962)
- Influential on development of computer interfaces
- Established many critical components of modern PCs: mouse, window, word processor, graphic/text displays, programming editors, hyperlink.
- Recognized for these ideas but his motivation is not as widely known.
- Engineer with larger goals: wanted to help further mankind (augment human intellect)
- Problem solver, saw problems looming for humans and wanted to enhance ability to deal with them.
- Established many critical components of modern PCs: mouse, window, word processor, graphic/text displays, programming editors, hyperlink.
- Recognized for these ideas but his motivation is not as widely known.
- Engineer with larger goals: wanted to help further mankind (augment human intellect)
- Problem solver, saw problems looming for humans and wanted to enhance ability to deal with them.
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